Next Avengers: Villains Revived
by Deltoran Merchant
Summary: Okay technically this is based on a film, but it was Marvel Animated Features so I think it can go here. Ultron's defeated and the Next Avengers are restoring the world. However with the storm passed the true evil is beginning to emerge from hibernation.
1. Prologue

**Next Avengers:**

**Villains Revived**

**Prologue**

Two months after Ultron's defeat the world is still on its return to normalcy. Ultron's city was being dismantled and people were being freed. The Next Avengers were doing their job in destroying robot after robot. Little do they realize that the greatest challenge is yet to come. Ultron was merely the tip of the iceberg and much greater threats lurk in the dark.

In a facility that was powered down and dark a light suddenly came on. It was a red light that glowed brightly before dimming to a glow and then going out altogether. The hiss of depressurization sounded as the lid of a metal, glass and plastic coffin slid off. Red smoke poured through the air and the figure of a man sat up from the coffin. As he got out of the coffin the smoke cleared and somewhere in the room lights began to turn on. It was then that he could be seen fully.

He was a muscular man, both muscular and lean to the peak a human could ever possibly reach. Currently he wore nothing but underwear and his incredible muscles rippled as he moved. However despite this handsome body he was not pleasing to look at. Scars worked their ways across his chest, back and shoulders and there were patches of skin that were bright red and stood out from the tan ever more than pale skin would. Then the lights revealed his head and it was like no other head and could hardly even be called human. It was a skull. A skull with flesh only barely stretched across it and with grinning teeth and empty eye sockets exposed. And it was red like blood and flame.

With glowing red eyes he looked down at his body and clenched his fists. His massive chest began to shake and then from his mouth escaped a harsh, cold chuckle that was terrible to hear. "The Red Skull has returned!" he shouted as the entire room lit up to show a massive cylinder lined with many, many circular catwalks along the walls. There glass cases and metal doors which contained all manner of objects from soldiers to weapons.

With quick strides he walked over to a very close glass fronted case which held clothing. He pulled on a simple black suit and began to move up the catwalk. It was, he deduced, time to return his name to the world above.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

**The Next Avengers**

"Hey Pym, could I get some help!?" called an old man. He had a short white beard and long white hair, but despite his elderly appearance he seemed to be in great shape. He was talking to a boy of about eleven or twelve in a black spandex-like material, though a little thicker it still shaped to his body. He wore yellow armour that was shaped something like insect legs on his lower legs and arms with black barbs like hairs and armour shaped like an insect's thorax on his torso with the addition of a green gem in the middle of the chest portion. He had dark eyes and black hair in a spiked style that was swept back down the middle and sticking out to the sides above his ears.

"Sure Tony!" he said and, quite surprisingly, shrank down to about two and a half inches tall with a greenish-yellow glow around him and four insect-like wings sprouting almost instantly from his back. He buzzed quickly over to Tony and grew to normal size again and the wings and glow vanished. They had finally finished tearing up a large portion of Ultron's city and now they were rebuilding New York in a human style.

"See that rubble there?" Tony asked pointing to a large pile of debris that had been cleared from the land they were currently focusing on. "Care to move it to the deposit area?"

"Yes sir!" Pym said with a quick salute and now did the opposite of what he had done previously; he grew. When he'd finished he was about a hundred feet tall and the pile of debris was nothing more to him now than a couple handfuls of rocks and sand. He scooped up one handful and carried it off. Tony wasn't sure the thundering footsteps of a giant preteen was good for his back at all, but he turned his attention to the rebuilding.

---

In another part of the city was the rest of the team called the Next Avengers. Leading was a boy who was about as in shape as a fourteen-year old could possibly get with auburn hair and he wore a double-breasted navy blue soldier's jacket with its collar turned up. On his legs were light blue pants and knee length hard leather red boots. The edge of the flap of his jacket was star-shaped and red as were his gloves. With blue eyes he scanned the city of metal that they still had to topple and on his arm was a circular shield patterned with concentric circles of red and blue with a white star at the centre. Young James Rogers was an exact reflection of his father in every way.

Following behind was a girl of about fourteen as well with long blonde hair and wearing light Viking-style armour. Torunn was her name and her father was none other than Thor the thunder god. Wearing a silver chestplate that was streamlined for flying purposes she looked like a techno-Viking.

Next was a boy of the same age as the rest with dark skin and a thin black leather outfit without sleeves and was so close-fitting it might have been part of him. He was bald and had markings painted on his head and shoulders. However his eyes were an unnerving yellow colour like a cat. Azari was the son of the Black Panther, and the mutant named Storm.

Finally bringing up the rear was another teenage boy of about fourteen with platinum hair and rather pale skin. He wore a black jacket with white belt-shaped stripes which ended in points around the buttons on one side. Under this he wore a black shirt and pants with a pair of boots for heavy walking. Francis was the son of Hawkeye and he himself often prefers to use that name.

The Next Avengers were tearing the remnants of Ultron's city apart and their progress was remarkable. Every day the remains old city became more and more revealed as the mechanical vomit was torn up by shield throws, lightning blasts, or bomb tipped arrows. It was a big job and eventually Tony Stark would have something for them that could accomplish the job faster. Usually it went quicker with Pym as the boy would simply grow and tear up everything he could get his hands on. As it was though their progress went fast enough, but it was a huge city they had to tear apart and it would take way more than five kids to do the job.

"Alright Avengers," James said as the group landed on an area of torn up city. "We should start heading back I think. It's getting late and there's as much building to be done as tearing stuff down."

"Yeah, besides I'm getting hungry," Azari added. With a few more attacks to weaken a robotic road they all turned and headed straight for the base.

---

Their camp was currently the most built up part of the town. Tony had spent some time shipping parts of his hideout in the Arctic to New York and rebuilding it there. The result was it had basically become the new town hall. Thanks again to Tony's engineering, and a little help from Pym, there were several buildings already built around the HQ. They were enough to contain the members of Hawkeye's freedom fighters and any other people who they managed to find.

To the Next Avengers however, save Hawkeye, the HQ would always be their home. That was the private section of the HQ which was a large conservatory with a jungle look to it. It was a good deal smaller now they found, but still big enough for them. The loss of size was largely just to make it fit in the rubble strewn area, but it wasn't like it was tiny now either. It was a domed greenhouse of sorts about as big as a soccer field and within the jungle environment were four bungalows of metal with the insides modeled to the likings of each of the occupants. Tony Stark lived in the command portion of the HQ and was always there for the still young heroes.

Tonight after dinner the Next Avengers, minus Hawkeye, were in their pyjamas and sitting on the bed in James' room. Tony was ready to tell them a story of the old days when the Avengers were strong. More specifically he wanted to talk of the individual heroes and their adventures before and outside the Avengers. As they were in James' room he tonight spoke of Captain America. "It occurs to me James that I never told you much of your father beyond him being 'the Soldier'," Tony began.

James sighed sadly as he tried to think of the father he never knew. "No, you haven't. But you knew him didn't you? You both worked with S.H.I.E.L.D and were in the Avengers."

Tony nodded with a smile. "That's right. Have you ever wonder James how you've been able to stay in peak human condition with such ease? No boy could achieve that without years of weights and exercise. Yet you've been in that shape your whole life."

James flexed a muscle and had to admit Tony was right. Azari and Pym exercised as much as he and they were nowhere near as muscular. "Yeah I guess I always took it for granted."

"Well there's a very long story that you should be told. As much as I hate to be like a grandpa, I guess I'll have to eh?

"The story doesn't begin with your dad James, but with another man from another continent in the era known as The Great Depression. This man's name was Johann Schmidt and he'd had a childhood of pain and torture. You see his mother died when he was young and his father blamed and attempted to murder him. I see in your eyes shock and horror, but not all parents were noble and heroic. Mr. Schmidt killed himself and left the young Johann to fend for himself on the streets and without family. He grew to hate and despise his own race and wished to see it beaten into submission.

"He learned to murder when a girl he loved spurned his affections and he let out his frustrations this way. However he was able to suppress this dark nature to get a job as a bellhop, a hotel butler essentially, when he was a little older than you James. Johann served at the hotel when the West's greatest threat stayed there. That threat was a man named Adolf Hitler who, displeased with a soldier, challenged himself to train the bellhop into the best soldier ever. Hitler knew he'd chosen well when he saw the darkness within Johann."

"What does this have to do with my dad Tony?" James interrupted.

"Patience James, I'm getting there. Now where was I? Ah yes, Hitler and Johann would become incredibly close companions. Hitler personally trained the young man in every art of war and politics and Schmidt succeeded stupendously. When the training was complete Johann was given a specialized uniform with a mask. A mask in the form of a skull and blood red in colour, and so arose the infamous Nazi terrorist leader Red Skull.

"Now we get to your father James. He was a young man with a mastery of fine arts, but not of physical activity. Indeed he might have had a muscle disability for he was extremely skinny. When he tried to enlist in the American military he was rejected due to this. However he wasn't out of the military for good. Instead he was recruited for a top-secret project known as Operation: Rebirth. They were attempting to create super-soldiers and finally a certain Dr. Josef Reinstein perfected the Super-Soldier serum.

"Your father, Steve Rogers was selected as the first test patient and was injected with the serum. Then using special radiation called Vita-Rays the serum was activated and stabilized and within seconds Steve had changed from a scrawny man to a young man at the height of physical fitness. The man responsible for this was shot moments afterwards by a Nazi spy however and no more soldiers have ever existed. The spy was killed and Steve Rogers became Captain America, a superhero of the USA to counter the Red Skull. He was given his first shield which was a lot more medieval in design.

"With a sidekick named Bucky Barnes, Captain America fought World War II and came to clash with the Red Skull. Red Skull was buried when a bunker collapsed on him, but a special experimental gas put him into suspended animation. Captain America would be put in the same state when a missile he was trying to stop launched him into the Arctic where he remained frozen for decades.

"Your shield James was given to Steve before this and is a fusion of steel and vibranium and a gift from President Franklin D. Roosevelt to your father. It was with Captain when he was discovered and revived by us Avengers and it stayed with him right until the end and has now passed onto you James. You inherit more than the shield though. You also inherit the Super-Soldier serum in fully activated and stabilized form. It was with you at birth and runs in your veins still. You are a physically perfect human according to Dr. Josef. You truly are your father's son."

James sat with his mouth gaping at all he'd just learned. Tony chuckled at boy's expression. "That's… wow," was all James could say. "What about Red Skull?"

"Oh he survived alright. The gas wore off shortly after he awoke, but that wasn't the end of him. He was transferred into a clone body of your father and unfortunately was granted the same benefits. Though it could be seen as consolation to know that a substance he used as a trademark, the Dust of Death which left people's heads as grinning red skulls, backfired on him almost instantly and his own head became a real red skull. He also abandoned Nazi philosophies for a new code of his own based on American ideologies. However since Ultron took over I haven't heard of any supervillains. I assume they've all been killed."

Tony stood, stretched and checked his watch. "Oh it's late, I've been flapping my gums for longer than I meant to. Okay you guys, get to your beds. And no complaining Pym, your old man sometimes woke up at two in the morning to fight crime."

"That's crazy!" Pym squeaked, currently in his small form. "They never got to sleep in?"

"Not often." And with that the Next Avengers vacated and left Tony with James. "You okay Captain?" Tony asked with a teasing smile.

"Yeah I'm fine. It's just a lot to take in that my father was so… cool."

"I guess you could say that. Don't let that get you down though you're James Rogers after all. I know your father would be proud of you," he said patting James on the shoulder. "Now get some sleep."

When everything was settled down, James closed his eyes and imagined standing by his father's side as… as who? Seargent America? Major USA? He wasn't sure what to call himself, but he was sure that he'd be with his dad as they fought evil.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

**New Arrival**

Johnny made his way through the hills and tumbled rock in what was once a forest. He found the broken remains of a road and followed it as he'd been told. The area around him had once been beautiful and lush and the road in far better condition than it now was. But all that was gone now, leveled by the robot Ultron.

At thirteen Johnny didn't remember the war that ended the world and was conquered by Ultron. Of course he'd spent his life in fear of the robot's army with his mom to take care of him. He never knew his father and lived life under the strict rules and regulations laid out by the robot.

However his appearance wasn't much like his mother's and she'd often said looking at him was like looking at a young version of his father. He had shaggy black hair that hung down to his neck and a handsome face that bore a childish cuteness as well which his blue eyes, the only thing from his mom, helped accentuate. He was in great shape from his life of running and his mother made sure he exercised and stayed in shape. But his strongest muscle was his brain which was extremely sharp for his age. On his arms were testaments to that sharpness.

On both of his hands he wore elbow length electronic gauntlets that looked almost like electronic casts. Made of parts from Ultron's robots, that is ones that had been discarded; Johnny had created them as weapons and tools. The primary purpose they served was augmenting his strength to the point where he could lift about twenty tons at maximum. In addition they were armed with a pulse cannon, which shot bursts of energy, and a explosive bolt launcher. The palms could interface with technology, especially Ultron's, and deliver a virus to temporarily shut down most electronics.

What he used them for was utilitarian though. He did occasionally fight with them, and indeed they were designed with that purpose in mind, but he never wanted to use them in case his mother was threatened in retaliation. So instead he'd used them for more subtle ways of fighting like making weaknesses in foundations and shutting down certain production centers. Johnny did this all for his mother so she could have a better life one day, but she knew nothing of him actually doing it. She had heard however that Ultron had been defeated and Johnny had volunteered to make the journey to prove if that was true or not. Although resistant, she eventually agreed and now here he was.

His attempts at finding shortcuts had left his jeans torn and his shirt in no better condition. For a time he'd gotten lost and it was thanks to an old man he'd met that he got back on track. So now here he was, the city was in sight and there truly were changes. Parts of it were ripped up and in place of that metal and electronic mess there was the beginning of actual human buildings. It was probably safe to assume that the rumours were true and Ultron was gone.

The teen quickened his pace in the morning light as he made for the city. He was sure he'd be there within a half hour at the least. Perhaps he could even help with the rebuilding and ensure a place for his mom to live. Soon he was entering the area of rebuilding and he made a beeline for the large hi-tech looking structure. It was of a different design to Ultron's architecture and he could see what looked like a greenhouse of some sort attached to it. Organics were definitely not in that villain's good list.

When he got to the sliding metal doors he hadn't a clue what to do. Knocking was the obvious action, but he doubted it would actually have any effect considering the size of the building. Yet he couldn't really see anything to ring or any other sort of object to announce his presence on the door step and be able to meet with whoever was in charge. Without any other option directly open to him he switched his gauntlets on and knocked as hard as he could with the sudden flow of superstrength. But he made sure not to do anything that would damage the doors.

To his surprise his knocking actually worked. The doors slid open and his eyes widened in shock. The boy standing there was a year older than him, but his physical appearance was astounding. Was he a young bodybuilder? No he was too lean, but it was amazing how huge he was for a teenager. For a moment he was actually a little intimidated and found his voice had left him. Still there was a calm nobility to his face and Johnny was able to find his voice. "Hello there," he rasped with a little shock there still.

"Who're you?" asked James.

"Johnny," he answered. "Are you in charge of the rebuilding here?"

"Oh! No, I'm not," the older boy answered surprised. "That would be Tony. I'm James Rogers by the way," he added.

"Rogers? Like Steve Rogers?"

"Yeah, he was my dad."

"You're the son of Captain America?" Johnny gaped.

"Yeah…"

That explained a lot in Johnny's mind. No wonder this boy was so huge, he was the son of a huge man. Captain America wasn't the strongest superhero around, but he certainly looked it. James inherited that look. "So can I see this Tony now?"

"Yes you can," came the voice of the man in question. "Greetings outsider, Jervis alerted me to your presence."

"Jervis?"

"He's my computer and butler. He's in charge of this entire building and keeps an eye on the entire site. He keeps me up to date so newcomers are not going past my notice. That was quite a knock though."

Johnny held up an arm to show the gauntlet off. "Works similar to the suit of Iron Man, or to my best guess anyways."

"I see," Tony said with a sort of approving tone. "Come on in then."

Johnny stepped into the electronic masterpiece and found it looked far more comfortable than any of Ultron's mechanical messes. It wasn't long before Johnny had met the rest of the teenagers who lived in the HQ as he learned it was called. There was young Pym and Torunn and finally Azari. Johnny was especially thrilled to meet the daughter of Thor and the Prince of Wakanda.

"Hey new guy! What about me, what was special about my dad that you think is cool?" Pym asked, buzzing around Johnny's head like a large gnat.

"Um, he created the original Ultron? That's cool in a weird, creepy sort of way," Johnny answered. Pym nearly fell out of the sky and the eyes of the entire Next Avengers turned to him as he stood by the stream in the biodome portion of the HQ, also where the kids lived in their bungalows.

"He what!" Pym cried, growing to normal size to prevent a hard landing. "I thought Tony made Ultron."

"Huh? Really? That last model was built by him?"

"Yeah, but he was friends with my dad so maybe he got the plans from him."

"That's roughly it," Tony said, joining the group of teenagers as they sat around the steps of one of the bungalows. He was glad to see they were all getting to know each other, but there was something gnawing at his heart about this newcomer. "You've certainly done your homework young man. How do you know all this?"

Johnny beamed at the compliments. "My mom was in touch with many superheroes. She told me all about Captain America and the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man. It's so awesome to meet their children."

All the Next Avengers blushed to some extent. They hadn't lived in a world with a lot of people and had yet to understand the amount of admiration that superheroes were given. Tony however prompted Johnny to go on as there was still more to tell. "So anyways, my mom was niece of Dr. Stephen Strange, or something like that. He would tell her about superheroes and even their identities, most of them anyways. He knew he could trust her and she said wouldn't dream of telling this information to anyone except her own flesh and blood."

"Tony told us stories about the Avengers when we were little," James said. "He's raised us our whole lives, our own parents were killed."

A solemn silence followed. It wasn't new to any of them, but they hated to be reminded of the loss they all shared. Even Torunn to an extent, whose father still lived, but was removed from her life to keep Asgard safe. Safe from what she was never quite sure, but she suspected it was something he could deal with.

"It's strange, my mom told me very little of Iron Man. She told me of his suit, but never his true identity. He's probably the coolest though and as I said I based these-" he gestured to his gauntlets "-after his suit technology. I'd really like to create a full suit though."

"I might be able to help there," Tony said. "And if you're here then you can also help us rebuild. The more hands the better. Jervis can register you in a moment and then we'll see what we can do about that suit."

The offer to help build a suit of Iron Man-type armour surprised Tony as it passed his lips. Then again he was flattered by the admiration this boy had for Iron Man and he knew someday there would need to be a new Iron Man. This boy was probably the closest he'd come to an heir to the mantle. What else could he do than help him?

"Thanks," Johnny said with gratitude and so the deal was closed. He'd help with the rebuilding and eventually his mother could come and live here too. For now however, he needed breakfast.


End file.
